Ballina beaches reopen after surfer knocked off board in shark incident

BEACHES across the Ballina Shire have reopened after a surfer was knocked off his board during a shark encounter at Angels Beach on Thursday morning.

The incident occurred near Flat Rock, with the surfer able to return to shore uninjured. Despite aerial drone footage being deployed after the incident, the surfer was unable to identify specific details about the shark.

“We are aware of reports that a surfer was knocked off their board at Flat Rock this morning,” a NSW Surf Life Saving spokesperson said.

“It’s believed the surfer made it back to shore safely and was uninjured.

“Flat Rock, Sharpes and Lennox Head beaches were closed for the remainder of the day as a precaution.”

All three beaches have since reopened.

The incident follows a spate of shark attacks across New South Wales in January, including four attacks in 48 hours across the state, one of which involved a 12-year-old boy who later died from his injuries.

Authorities have previously linked the January attacks to heavy rainfall and murky water conditions along the NSW coast.

In response to the increased activity, Surf Life Saving NSW recently announced a $4.2 million increase in funding for drone surveillance as part of its Shark Management Program.

“This new package represents a 90 per cent increase on our current shark surveillance drone program,” Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steve Pearce said.

So far in the 2025–26 season, 50 Surf Life Saving NSW drones operating from Tweed to Bega have completed 29,431 flights over 8,044 flying hours, with 465 sharks sighted.

Lifeguards and lifesavers enacted 170 countermeasures during that period, including beach evacuations, sirens, drone alerts and the deployment of rescue vessels.